Duke Energy added the first of four new advanced gas turbines for its new combined cycle plant at the Person County Energy Complex. This addition is marking a milestone moment in the growth and development of the Duke Energy infrastructure. 

The turbine that arrived Wednesday at the Person County Energy Complex is a GE Vernova combustion turbine that generates electricity using natural gas. In a combined-cycle configuration, heat that would otherwise be wasted is captured to produce steam that powers a second turbine, allowing the facility to generate additional electricity more efficiently.

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The Person County Energy Complex is part of Duke Energy's effort to modernize its generation fleet as older plants approach the end of operation, Person County is transitioning to newer technologies while keeping up with current power demands.

Person County has been home to the Roxboro (Hyco) Plant since 1966 and the Mayo Plant since 1983. Duke energy is expected to retire the Mayo Plant by 2031 and the Roxboro Plant by 2034.

This new addition to the Person County Energy Complex is the first of many steps in the transition to cleaner energy options in North Carolina. 

Person County Energy Complex turbine numbers.

  • This turbine weighs 627,000 pounds (314 tons)—roughly the equivalent of 150 passenger vehicles. And it's not even the heaviest piece of equipment headed to the site. Later this year, the steam turbine generator is expected to arrive weighing nearly 900,000 pounds (450 tons).
    • A single turbine can generate enough electricity to power hundreds of thousands of homes (or an area about the size of Durham)
      • The final leg of the journey covered 73 miles over three days. The turbine was manufactured in Greenville, South Carolina, transported by rail to Ruffin, North Carolina, and made the final trip to Person County by a specialized heavy-haul trailer as long as a football field.
        • Moving a turbine of this size takes a team effort. The delivery involves state troopers, utility crews, specialized drivers, spotters, traffic control personnel and transportation experts working together to move the equipment safely.
          • Person County will be home to four advanced GE Vernova gas turbines (in two combined cycle units) when the project is complete, making it one of Duke Energy's most modern generating sites.